Health and Safety

IMPROVING THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF WOMEN AND GIRLS OF COLOR.

Annually, over 900,000 women and families participate in YWCA health and safety programs and services, such as aquatics and fitness programs, health resources and referrals, and domestic violence and sexual assault services.

YWCA seeks to improve the lives of women and girls by providing high-quality health and wellness programs that are too-often not available to disadvantaged and marginalized communities of color. Annually, YWCA provides more than 400,000 women, girls, and their families with programs and services designed to address health inequities. Nationally, YWCA continues to advocate for increased access to healthcare and supports public policies such as Affordable Care Act expansion that would greatly benefit the women, girls, and families we serve every day.

YWCA has long advocated for the health and safety of women and girls. As the largest network of domestic violence service providers in the country, we remain committed to reducing violence against women and girls, with a particular focus on gun-related domestic violence homicides. The need is very real. Every month, 46 women are shot to death by a current or former partner, and intimate partner homicides account for nearly half of all women killed each year in the U.S. YWCAs in nearly every state provide a variety of services and programs to more than 500,000 women and families annually, from emergency shelters and crisis hotlines to counseling, court assistance, and other community safety programs.

In addition to our direct services, for over 20 years, YWCA has hosted an annual Week Without Violence campaign. During the month of October, YWCA mobilizes people in communities across the United States to take action against all forms of violence, wherever it may occur. Through rich and complex dialogues on violence to workshops, community service opportunities, and public awareness events, Week Without Violence places the pervasive and intersectional nature of violence and its impact on the communities we serve at the forefront of the conversation.